Transportation fuel and base oil blendstocks produced from biomass are of increasing interest since they are derived from renewable resources and may provide an attractive alternative and/or supplement to similar petroleum-derived products. Conventional processes for producing fuel and base oil blendstocks from biomass often employ separate fuel and base oil trains requiring duplicate reactors (and associated equipment) and the production of fuels has typically required a hydroisomerization step.
Conventional approaches for converting vegetable oils or other fatty acid derivatives into transportation fuels may comprise transesterification, catalytic hydrotreatment, hydrocracking, catalytic cracking without hydrogen, and thermal cracking, among others.
Triglycerides may be transesterified to produce a fatty acid alkyl ester, most commonly a fatty acid methyl ester (FAME). Conventional FAME is primarily composed of methyl esters of C18+ saturated fatty acids. The poor low temperature properties of conventional FAME however have limited its wider use in regions with colder climatic conditions. Generally, the introduction of at least one double bond into the FAME molecule is needed in order to improve its low temperature properties. However, FAME molecules derived from unsaturated fatty acids contribute to poor oxidation stability of the fuel and to deposit formation.
Triglycerides may be hydrotreated to conventionally produce a normal C18+ paraffin product. However, the poor low temperature properties of the normal C18+ paraffin product limit the amount of product that can be blended in conventional diesel fuels in the summer time and prevent its use during the winter time. The normal C18+ paraffinic product may be further isomerized to a C18+ isoparaffinic product in order to lower the pour point.
There is a need to develop methods for efficiently processing, often simultaneously, biomass-derived compositions into a broader range of lubricants and fuel types having improved low temperature properties wherein the lubricants and fuels may be produced with reduced capital equipment requirements and with reduced hydrogen consumption.